West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-12-15
EOVELIsTs AND THEIR READERS.

ESousteai Lines OF Authors In Thoiy
Prefaces.
Prefaces to novels are not 80 common
Mt this decade OF the century as they
were thirty or forty years ago. Scott.
Bulwer Lytton, Dickens, Thackeray.
Charlotte Bronte, Nathaniel Haw-
thorne, besides many other novelists.
all wrote prefaces either to first or
subsequent editions Of their works. In
deed, this practice had become SO com
mon among novelists of every descrip-
ton that leading review felt itself
called upon to address "a few words OF
special remonstranco TO those writer's
oil notion, who, it says. "now indulge
IN egotisting prefaces, giving nara
tlVes OF the circumstances under which
their works were composed, or making
statements with all the formal accuracy
OF the specification OF patent, of the
precise points in which the author
claims the merit OF originality. This
practice Is not altogether new, but il is
dlsagreeably on tho increase" The
example of Sir Walter Scott is not to
be cited in Justification OF these of
lenses against good taste" his prefaces
not accompanying his novels, but being
merely literary gossip addressed to a
pubic whom he assumed to be familiar
with the boo, themselves"
one OF the greatest novelists OF this
century, aud whose prefaces have
charm peculiarly their own, is Nathan.
lei Hawthorne. Would that we could
claim him as entirely our ownl But
although this author of the weirdest.
most mysterious, and subtly beautiful
romances ever conceived has to com
plain of the impossibility OF writing
such romance with his own country
for its suitable site-where, he SAYS.
there Is no shadow, no antiquity. no
mystery, no picturesque and gloomy
wrong, nor anything but a common
place prosperity, in broad and simple
daylight" yet it is still his dear ma
tive land" and we must give him M
to America with q sigh of envious adj
miration. Whoever has read the pref
ace to Transformation" will remem-
Der how he was made by that most
touching appeal entirely the authors
own; and how he pleased himself with
fancying that he was "that one con-
genial friend" to whom alone Haw-
thorne says he has been in the habit OF
addressing himself, and whom his inn
agination has painted ~more compre-
henslve OF his purposes, more appre-
clatlve of his success, more indulRent
OIL his short omings, and, in all re-
spects, closer and kinder than q brother
that all sympathizing critic, In short.
whom" he adds, IAN author never
actually meets, but to whom he inn
plicitly makes his appeal whenever he
Is conscious of having done his best.
Charles Dickens prefaces are a COM
plete contrast to those Of Hawthorne.
bis novels are often studies of the
pathetic, but his prefaces are the es-
sence OF commonplace. Possibly the
composer of those whitening remarks
on novelists, which have just been
quoted, had such preface in his mind
as that to Martin Chuzzlewit" when
he wrote them, for this is but a iusti-
ficat!On, delivered in tho usual iocular
manner, of the characters which the
author has drawn. In it there occurs
Just one remark worth quoting. and
that because it suggests possible ex-
tenuat on OF what must be considered
the most evident fault of Dickens
writings.
"On this head of exaggeration, I
have a positive experience, more curl.
Gus than the speculation have lust
set down. 1t is this: / have never
touched q character precisely from the
life, but some counterpart Of that char
acter has increduously asked me, Now
really, did ever, really, see one like